Target apparatus.



No. 644,867. Patented Mar. 6, I900.

, J. L. McCUL'LOUGH.

TARGET APPARATUS.

(Application filed July's, 1899.)

(No Model.)

ii/111111111I1/01/111/1/1/1/11/1/1/1 FIG-ll.

WITNESSES: INVENTOB %%%@1@ Z l m, @010 BY ATTORNEY TH: mums PETERS co, PHOYO-LITHQ., WASHINGTON. n. c.

. lhviTnn I STATES PATENT @rricn.

JOHN I... MCCULLOUGH, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

TARG ET APPARATUQ.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,867, dated March 6, 1900..

Application filed July 8,1899. Serial No. 723,153. (No model.)

To mZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN L. MoOULLoUeH, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Target Apparatuses, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to the class of target apparatuses such as that described in my United States Patent No. 561,124, dated June 2, 1896. In the apparatus of my said patent the target is actuated by electricity on the closing of a circuit by pulling the trigger of the gun. I have now devised a construction, otherwise similar to that described in my said patent, but wherein the target is actuated wholly by mechanical means when the trigger is pulled or the hammer falls, and this construction forms the object of the present invention.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one simple embodiment of the invention, as that will suffice to carry it out fully in all its essential features.

In the drawings, Figure-1 is a vertical sectional View of the target apparatus as a whole; and Fig. 2 is a detail view, on a larger scale, of the trip device.

In my former patent, No. 561,124, to which I would refer fora fuller understanding of the operation of a target apparatus ofthis class than it will be necessary to give herein, I will say thata gun or device simulating a gun and having a hammer, mainspring, and trigger is mounted on a universal joint, so that the marksman may aim it at a target or one of several targets. A target is provided and adapted to be operated in some manner by an electromagnet. An electric generator and circuit are provided, the latter having in it the generator, the electromagnet at the target, and two breaks-one adapted to be closed when the hammer of the gun falls and the other adapted to be closed by the aiming of the gun at the target-end a contact-tip for effecting the closing of the last-named break when the gun shall be properly aimed.

In my present construction, A represents the gun, which is mounted on a suitable stand or counter B. The gun and stand are placed in front of. a target-board G at a distance which will be governed by circumstances In the drawings the target and gun are too close together proportionately. The gun A is secured rigidly to an upright supportingarm 1, which is secured rigidly at its lower end to a ball 2 of a ball-and-socket joint. This ball is clamped in a clamping socketbracket 3, fixed to the counter B. The arm 1 plays in a slot 4: in the top of the counter B, as in my former patent. seen that a gun so mounted may have its muzzle elevated or depressed at will and also moved from side to side by the rotation of the ball 2 in its socket, so that the gun can sweep over all points in the target-board O and be aimed at any target thereon. Any universal support for the gun which will permit this movement may be employed.

The ball 2 carries a rigid arm 5, which when the gun is moved in aiming traverses a field corresponding somewhat to that traversed by the muzzle of the gun. In the end of the arm 5, which may be a tube, is mounted a sliding operating-plunger 6, coupled at its inner end to one arm of a lever 7 on the arm 5, the other arm of said lever 7 being coupled, through the medium of a wire 8, a bell-crank lever 9, and a wire 10, with one arm of a lever 11 in or on the gun. Coupled to the other arm of thelever 11 at the point where the nipple of an ordinary gun is situated is a plunger 12, adapted to be struck and driven down by the hammer 13 of the gun when the trigger 14 thereof shall be pulled. Thus it will be seen that when the hammer falls the operating-plunger 6 will be forcibly driven out or forward by the blow.

The target may be constructed in various ways. As here shown it consists of a disk 15, with a hole in its center, suspended on a pin 16, projecting through and sliding in a hole in the target-board O. This pin is coupled at its rear end to the upright arm of a bell-crank lever 17, the other arm of which is coupled, through the medium of wires 18, 18 and 18 and bell-crank levers 19 and 20, with a bell-crank lever 21. The upright arm of this lever 21 is coupled to a spring-plunger 22, mounted in a slide-bearing, as shown. The plunger is so placed that when the gun A is accurately aimed at the target the operating-plunger 6 will be alined with it, as seen in Fig. 1, and if the trigger 14 be now pulled It will be readily the hammer 13 will drive down the plunger 12 and through the intermediate levers and wires will force or drive out the plunger 6 against the plunger 22, thus driving or forcing the latter back and through the intermediate bell-cranks and wires draw back the pin 16 and allow the target 15 to fall. If the aim is not accurate, the operating-plunger will not be alined with the plunger 22, and al though said operating-plunger will be protruded it will miss the plunger 22 and the target will not be affected.

I have shown the apparatus in a very simple form and one suitable for a parlor device or toy; but it will be obvious to any one familiar with the art that the details of construction may be varied without departing from myinvention. For example, there may be more than one target, with a plunger 22 and connecting wires and levers for each target. This would be a mere duplication of the mechanism shown. Wires and bellcrank levers are employed as a well-known means of communicating motion, and any other mechanical means for doing this would serve equally well. Other forms of targets may also be used, examples of which may be seen in my former patent. The construction shown is simple; but it need not be adhered to strictly. It is only essential to my invention that the pulling of the trigger when the gun is accurately aimed at the target shall act through mechanical connecting devices to operate the target so that it will move or fall. The movement of the pin 16 may be made to close an electric circuit through a bell or annunciator at the target; but this is within the skill of any ordinary electrician and requires no description.

If it be desired to so construct the apparatus that the descent of the hammer will first draw back the pin 16 and then release it, so that its spring may again protrude it, the detail of construction shown and best illustrated in Fig. 2 may be employed. In this construction the pin 16 is backed by a spring 16 and the upright arm of the elbow-lever 17 is hinged with a rulejoint and spring, said arm being arranged so that it will first draw back the pin 16 by engagement with a stud or shoulder 16" thereon, and then wipe past said stud, so as to free the pin 16 and allow its spring to protrude it. When the gun is cocked, the spring 17 of the lever 17 returns the latter to its first position, the hinged portion of its upright arm yielding, so that it may pass the stud 16 This is in itself a well-known mechanism, and any other of a similar character maybe employed in its stead.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A mechanical target apparatus com prising a target, a gun mounted on a universal joint and having a trigger and hammer, mechanism for operating said target, and mechanically-operated connecting mechanism substantially as described intermediate the triggerof the gun and said target-operatin g mech* anism whereby the movement of the trigger is communicated mechanically to the mechanism at the target when the gun is correctly aimed, substantially as set forth.

2. In a target apparatus, the combination with a gun mounted on a universal joint, the said joint, an arm 5 carried by the said joint whereby the said arm moves in unison with the gun, an operating-plunger carried by said arm, and mechanism intermediate said operating plunger and the trigger of the gun whereby the pulling of the trigger causes said plunger to be protruded, of a target, situated in front of the gun, target-operating mechanism, a plunger 22, so situated as to be alined with the operating-plunger when the gun is correctly aimed, and connecting mechanism intermediate the plunger 22 and the targetoperating mechanism whereby, when the trigger is pulled the target will be operated mechanically.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name, this 6th day of July, 1899, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN L. MCCULLOUGH.

Witnesses:

PETER A. Ross, HENRY CONNETT. 

